At The Edge of Darkness
by TheOne16th
Summary: Finn is gone. Seventeen painful years have passed since his disappearance. The memories of peace and happiness drift away as chaos and fear took its place. An ancient evil arises and only Finn can save Ooo. But will he ever return? And if he will, can he fix the shattered hearts and the broken kingdoms? Can he bring back hope and peace for Ooo when everyone else has lost it?
1. Gone In The Light

**Author's Note:** Hey there, good reader. First of all, thanks for taking time to click on this story, really.

Now this is something big I wanna work on, and the plot has been inspired, and is not a direct and absolute copy, of one of the stories I've read. I can't remember the name mainly because I read it a long time ago, but it was a really really good story that got me hook with all this "Finn disappears, war rages in Ooo, evil rises etc. etc." Though it may seem cliche, that's fine, I won't judge the critic.

Oh and here's a fair note: There are no main OCs in this fic. You can figure it out later once you arrive to the next chapter. The planned pairing here is Finn and Bubblegum.

This first chapter starts off short, but in the future I'd focus on making them longer.

**Update:** I switched the rating to rated-M for the sake of the next chapters which contains gore and violence.

Disclaimer: _I do not own Adventure Time, and it belongs to its legal and rightful_ owner.

So here we go. Read on, my friend.

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**At The Edge of Darkness**

**Chapter 1: Gone In The Light**

_What seemed like an innocent day was the day that Ooo took its turn into the worst. This was the start of it all, where everything just quickly transformed, where the first link of the chain reaction begins to unfold. This very day was something that evil had been waiting for in its time being swayed away by heroes, the day it had set its eyes upon and readied its true potential for,_

_ A moment when the single candle in a dark room dies, and everything is engulfed in darkness until that candle lights once again..._

**0o0**

Another dungeon-hunting trip and it was just as what the duo expected from any other of their dungeon hunts. Finn and Jake walked casually through this damp, stony, and torch-lit dungeon's halls with no fear just like it was another day in the life for them.

Finn wielded his grass sword which was seemed like a wrist-brace whenever it wasn't in use. It was his only weapon at the time and for a good reason. It may look like grass, but it cut cleanly more than any blade Finn had knew of.

Jake, Finn's brother and lifelong companion, had his own combat abilities such as stretching his canine body and becoming even larger than his opponents. Even with limited combat variety, these two were already half-way through the dungeon having defeated an army of undead assailants, demons, and a few dragons. They were experienced in quest and combat, and they were not ashamed to name themselves heroes of Ooo no matter how arrogant they may sound.

One can mistake their casual manner for valor, but in truth, they had absolutely no fear of the evil twisted creatures that made up some of Ooo's feared inhabitants. They lived in this land for years and with cherished memories, both had become acquainted to what may approach on the next corner, be it a villager, a noble, or even a monster.

Though the dungeon itself looked menacing as they travelled forward into the halls, not one bout of fear has caused their spine to tingle. The skulls placed like holiday decorations, skeletons that looked like they could come alive any second (which most of the time did), and the dim lighting and amount of darkness did not scare these two young beings. This was part of their life, and they never grew tired of it no matter how bored they may seem.

Their footsteps echoed in cadence as well as their small conversations unrelated to dungeon hunting. Instead of talking about warnings and combat, they simply conversed over smaller, trivial matters just like any other teenager would do.

"Man, after this dungeon do you wanna go visit Marceline?" Finn said. "I'm gonna try out the guitar we just got after getting past that weird-looking demon dude"

"Yeah, bro! Then we can try out the guitar's magical powers!" Jake said as he did an air-guitar.

"Yeah! That'd be really cool! It might go shoot these cool supersonic sound-waves that can blow someone's brains out!" Finn said in joy, imagining the very picture in his head.

"Ew, dude, a bit too gross" Jake said, disgusted by the same picture.

"Oh, sorry about that" Finn apologized. They then stopped in their tracks, and they now stood in front of a massive iron gate. "Man, look at this gate" Finn then looked around the room. "Think there's a puzzle that can open it?" Finn said as he spotted no keyhole on the gate.

The two were now inside a large, four cornered room. The room was all empty and there was nothing but the gate to grant progress.

The gate's doors were square and tall. From afar, the gate looked like a single metal slab with its top-end reaching out to the ceiling of this dungeon. The very metal on the gate was aged and rusty and it had been decorated with wind-like patterns that emerged from the sides. There was no keyhole at all, and despite having none, it still gave the two the impression that it was locked

The most remarkable feature of this old gate was the carve inscriptions on the metalwork. The written language looked runic, having sharp strokes and numerous dots which made it look like a somewhat complex language. The runic characters glow a distinct golden luster which stood out of the dull dark-grey metal of the gate. The shine had caught Jake's attention, and he began to inspect the carvings.

"Dude, check out these carvings" Jake then placed a paw on one of the characters, examining if its magic was activated by touch. Finn went beside him, leaning down to get a better look at the letters of this writing.

"Cool, what's it say?" Finn asked. He looked at the carvings and he too didn't understand them.

"Don't know man, but it looks ancient." Jake shrugged.

"How'd you know?" Finn then traced one character with his fingers. He felt an eerie resonance as he touched the perfect metalworking. "Dude, do you feel this weird feeling when you touch it?" Finn asked, worried that this was a trap and a possible machine or monster waited behind the ironwork of the doors. But if these two adventurers were lucky, they would have seen treasure once they open this gate and bring an end to this dungeon-hunting session.

"Nah, man, it just feels like there's…" Jake's voice was slowly cancelled out to Finn's ears. He started to hear loud whispers seeping out of the strange glow of the ancient writings. Jake continued speaking but it was as if he was muffled out from Finn's ears just so that he can hear these whispers. Since Jake was busy looking at the characters, he had no idea that Finn had looked stiff and pale.

"_Sanguis valora arrivum" _The voices whispered like they told Finn secrets. Three voices spoke at once, and it was dominantly male with a soft hush of a female. It sounded crystal clear and it had caused Finn's mind to pulsate with a sharp pain. His eyelids stretched as a reaction and his pupils widened as he started to feel a force overwhelm his mind.

"Sanguis valora arrivum" Finn recited in an emotionless monotonous voice. His tone disturbed Jake, causing him to stop mid-way as he spoke.

"Finn? What was that?" Jake asked in a concerned tone. He had placed a paw on Finn's right shoulder which caused him to snap out of the state of unconsciousness.

Finn shook his head quickly and gripped his forehead with his right hand as he felt a headache. His body started to feel strange to him, like a sense of numbness started to creep from his head down to his chest.

"Somebody whispered in my ear…" Finn fell on his knees in quick exhaustion. Jake reacted to his brother's sudden weakness by placing arms behind him. "I heard a spell" Finn said, his mind clearing out. He scratched his head, and he slowly stood up again.

"What it'd say?" Jake was worried, something was clearly not right and he knew that it was time to take the dungeon-hunt a bit more seriously now.

"I-I don't know… It's like I can't remember" Finn tried hard to remember, holding his forehead again and narrowing his eyes as he attempted to recall.

Both of them then looked as the gate as a sound of rusty bar-lock emerged. Finn sprang into action, standing in battle stance, revealing the true form of his grass sword, and slightly bending and spreading his knees.

"Get ready, whatever whispered to you is about to get free paste" Jake then enlarged his paws and pounded them towards each other. Combat was this serious when magic was involved, especially dark magic.

The gates opened, creaking a rusty metallic sound as the doors moved against the stone. A shaft of light shot out as the gate revealed its passage. The light further widened until it had dominated the torchlight and covered the two young beings in a window of bright white light.

"What the…" Jake said in a small fit of confusion. He was narrowing his eyes and had one of his arms shadow his face to shield him from the seemingly blinding brightness. "Must be some kind of light monster, dude."

Finn didn't respond to Jake. Normally, when Jake would beware him, they would take steps back and prepare for battle. But now, Finn stood still, out of battle stance. He stared at the light as if something else was gazing back at him.

Jake saw Finn's silhouette caught in the light; his first impression was that Finn was being cocky. "Finn, get ready, man! Who knows what might come out of that gate!" Jake shouted, slowly feeling fear for Finn as the boy acted strange. His warning hadn't shook Finn, and he still stood there, watching the light and making no response to Jake. Jake lost his patience and he rushed forward to take Finn in the middle of the light's projection. "Finn, quit being stupid!" Jake ran closer to him, enlarging his hand to be big enough to grab Finn in a snatch.

As Jake was about to have Finn in his grasp, a violent howling wind blasted out of the gate like hurricane, slamming Jake to the dungeon wall. The winds traveled against the whole room with a force that was enough to rip a tree from its roots. Jake was hurled at the dungeon wall and he had let out a small shout of pain as his back collided against the hard stone. "Finn, it's a trap!" Jake yelled again yet Finn still stood there, unresponsive and oblivious to Jake.

Jake was now out of the blinding light's projection and he could clearly see Finn stand firmly against both the wind and light. Strangely, Finn stood like as if there was no wind. His body was in a straight attention, like the winds had ignored him. His eyes were wide as if the light didn't blind him.

Jake attempted to stretch a long arm to take Finn, but then it was halted when the winds grew even stronger like it knew what Jake was doing, causing Jake's stretched arm to be suspended in mid-air as it pushed against the wind.

"Dude, don't do this!" Jake continued to yell him, but still, Finn was deaf in this unconscious state, and all he could hear were the voices now taking control over him.

Despite the howling winds, Jake started to hear Finn's voice echo in a strange whisper. He recited a spell, a spell that seemed to have casted both the winds and the light, and now was summoning whatever was supposed to come out of that gate.

"_Sanguis valora arrivum. Malifuron vexilla aerus. Illuminaria valora legeius." _Finn continued to recite these sentences again and again, becoming louder each time he cycled from the start. And as he recited, he began to take steps closer into the gate, like a moth drawn to a fire.

"No!" Jake then felt a rush of energy and courage as he saw his brother edge closer into the light. His stretched hands went further to rescue Finn from his possession. Jake struggled, growled and barred his teeth as he pushed his hands against the powerful winds with all his might to at least take any part of Finn that could pull him away.

Finn edged closer to the epicenter of the light and Jake's hands were already clawing as they were inches away from his collar. Jake was so near, and so close. His hands were inching nearer to Finn's back, and with just one more swipe, Jake could possibly grab Finn's collar to save him. He released all his strength to his arms and hands, challenging the winds and progressing through them an inch at a time.

Jake pushed his hardest, and with his right paw, was only able to take a hold of Finn's bear hat. Jake gripped hard at the first thing he could use to get a hold on Finn, but unfortunately, the hat slipped off his head and Finn hadn't noticed at all.

Jake frustratingly let go of the hat, remembering for a split-second that Finn never tightened it around his head. The bear hat spiraled around the room due to the winds. Jake continued going for Finn's collar as it was the part of his shirt that would be enough to pull him . Just one more small swipe of his paw and he could finally save Finn. One last push was what he did, hoping that this could at least grab any part of Finn that could pull him. He was already so near to saving Finn, Jake nearly had a good grip on Finn's collar, his last final swipe,

But then… it was already too late.

"Finn, no!" Jake shouted as loud as his voice and the wind allowed him . Finn had taken a final step into the light, and from there, the winds halted and the light faded, revealing only the dungeon wall. His silhouette disappeared along with the light, and Finn was nowhere to be seen.

Jake fell face-flat on the floor as the winds suddenly stopped, unable to safely land due to his exhaustion. He then got on his knees with his hands supporting him. He began to catch his breath, and slowly, looked up to see the gate, or in his mind, to see Finn.

But all he saw was the dungeon wall greeting him with gate doors open. The light was no more, and it turns out that behind the gate was just only a stone wall. It crossed in Jake's mind that Finn went through a portal which explains the light and it had taken Finn to another dimension— a dimension that could either rest inside or far-away from Ooo.

Jake quickly ran to the wall with the last of his remaining stamina, nearly tripping as he reached the gate. "Finn!" Jake shouted, hoping that Finn could hear him behind these walls, but to no avail. He sank to his knees in weakness and a heavy heart. "Oh no, man…" Jake shook his head, tears welling inside his eyes. "NO NO NO!" He swiftly stood up and pounded the wall again and again with his enlarged fists, but then they quickly shrank as Jake fell to his knees again, sliding his now shrunken paw at the wall in weakness. "No…" He mumbled, his voice merging with a sob.

**0o0**

And from that day on, Ooo was never the same again. Finn the Human was nowhere to be seen. No science and no magic can find him, not even the master wizards of Wizard City, Princess Bubblegum, or even Marceline could. His blood, DNA, and magical fingerprint just got erased ever since he went missing.

News of his disappearance was discreet, but secrets don't last too long in Ooo even with what was hidden in the next corner. Soon everyone will notice his disappearance, but Jake knew better to delay it, and with important secrets, he knew whom to trust.

Princess Bubblegum was the first to receive this news, and with her foresight, knew the dangers and consequences of losing Finn, of losing the strongest and most active hero the land of Ooo needed.

"Things are going to change" Princess Bubblegum would mumble without emotion. "Not just all of us, Ooo will change. Everything will change." She would say, and she was not mistaken at all. She was the second casualty of Finn's disappearance, and soon, there will be more victims than to be counted in fingers. Princess Bubblegum changed, and in turn, the Candy Kingdom changed as well, and this was just the beginning—the start of a new era for this realm.

He was missing, maybe for an eternity, but Jake believed with all his heart that he was not dead... He had hoped that somewhere out there, Finn was simply lost, and maybe one day, he will return in the time that he was needed the most, to save Ooo like he had done a hundred times.

But despite hopes of all his friends and prayers from those faithful, there was nothing that could stop what the land of Ooo was about to face…

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**Author's Note: **Well, thanks for getting through with this chapter. Follow, favorite, and review if you want to. Const. Critics are welcome but flames are not appreciated.

Thanks again, and see you on the next chapter (That's if you come back).


	2. Ex-Hero

**Author's Note: **Alright, here's where it gets messy...

This chapter is twice as long as the last one, so yeah, more lengthy chapters soon to come. Hope I won't be interminable any time soon, but I won't be upset if you guys see it that way. So anyway, let's get it started.

Read on, my friend.

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**Chapter 2: Ex-Hero**

Slowly, Finn's disappearance began to affect Ooo, first with the mind of his brother. Jake had fallen into a depressed state, lamenting over his lost or dead brother. He could not bear to fight off the evil inhabitants of Ooo alone in his grief. Every time the call of duty came to his ears, Jake did not move, for he was stuck in his sorrow, unable to know what needed to be done. He is rumored to have given up the hero life to bear a shameless life of living without Finn, and now refuses to indulge in a valorous life once again.

People had looked all of Ooo for Finn. They had searched for him in every place and method possible. Search parties done by the people he had known scoured Ooo for Finn.

From astral magic, wizards tried to find his magical mark across dimensions, but even with such an effective way of searching people, his magical mark seemed to have disappeared just as easily as he did. With blood, Marceline the Vampire Queen had search for him by scent and demonic magic, but to no avail at all. Even with desperate help from her all-seeing and powerful father, she had failed to find him as well. By science and technology, Princess Bubblegum created numerous machines specifically designed to find Finn, but even with such gadgetry, even the machines had ended up in a futile attempt.

The two adventurers' fame had gone just as quickly as Finn had gone missing. News of his disappearance then spread like wildfire. The very information had strike fright inside the hearts and minds of the defenseless creatures and beings of Ooo. Many mourned over his loss, but others… others had been thankful for they have waited the time, and knowing that he there was no longer a hero to stop malicious intentions, came the execution and spread of dark plots and violence from all corners of Ooo.

As hopeless years passed, evil grew larger with time, and not one hero had tried to repel it, and any courageous soul who stood up to fight back had been put into a quick, pitiful end. With the slow emergence of evil, chaos and disorder rose from the ashes. After years of being stopped by Finn the Human and Jake the Dog, the darker inhabitants of Ooo have come to awaken, and with their awakening, came their corruption and desecration of Ooo's once peaceful lands.

The Candy Kingdom was no longer the child's paradise as it used to be in Finn's era. Princess Bubblegum had ordered construction of stronger hard candy defenses, walls, and soldiers to ensure the safety of her kingdom. She had known to do this the moment Jake told her of Finn's disappearance before matters become worse. The gates of her walls were open to the good beings of Ooo, causing her city to become a safe haven for those weak affected by the growing unrest and disorder in Ooo. But to further ensure her protection against conspirers and possible assassins, she had isolated her castle from the rest of the public, quieting its once crowded and merry halls. In creating these massive walls and defenses, Princess Bubblegum saved a handful few with her fortunate foresight, but as a result, the fortress and safety measures had isolated her own kingdom from all the unfortunate other rulers who did not prepare for these changes. She had turned her back on those others suffering from the chaos, and this was one thing she regretted more than anything: to give up on all the other falling kingdoms for the safety of her own.

The Earldom of Lemongrab had become restless and threatening, and it had begun to expand its army to fend off more and more of the miscreants that would occasionally come to ruin it. Normally, Princess Bubblegum would come to inspect the armies of Lemongrab, but in these dark times, she had sent envoys to do this for her, and these candy envoys never returned. The Earldom had been left unchecked, and eventually, the power hungry Earl had went past the normal limit of fifty troops, and by the time made his "own" limit- Regiments with a hundred thousand minions each. With these large yellow armies, the vengeful Earl of Lemongrab had finally decided to declare war on the Candy Kingdom and to all of Ooo, which raised higher concerns over Ooo's safety.

There was barely anyone to stop the Earldom, and now, the Earldom's armies march from the west of Ooo, conquering the other smaller kingdoms and at some times besieging the Candy Kingdom with swarms and swarms of the Earl's minions. They had no mercy and no sentient remorse, and with their hardened candy swords and crossbows and bitter lemon heart, slew defenseless innocents and conquered smaller towns, leaving with not a single prisoner.

The Goblin Kingdom had taken advantage from all the disorder. From a silent, passive kingdom, it had slowly become a violent kingdom of bandits and raiders over the years. A pampered pig who calls himself: "Lord Jeyranku" rules over this raider kingdom with his cruel hobgoblin vassals, organizing widespread crime and havoc into the eastern lands of Ooo. They had burned villages and smaller kingdoms to ashen cinders, raped fertile lands, looted treasures, enslaved the weak, and sometimes if the goblins simply felt like doing so, slaughtered every innocent without a shred of mercy. They were the strongest possible force to have stopped the Earldom from totally conquering Ooo, but in this way, they had further plunged the realm into the fray of war. This kingdom welcomed the mischievous and rogue, and those who have completely submitted and lost their hope for the righteous had taken the Goblin Kingdom as their so-called "safe" haven, making their life here from the blood and coin of innocents suffering from the fires of war.

The Flame Kingdom was the only kingdom to retain its state for a long enough time. Flame Princess had received news of Finn's disappearance and had only grieved for a short duration. Fortunately, she had the foresight to create wide-scale defenses to further protect her kingdom against what may rage through the land's defensive flame and lava.

The kingdom was now war-torn by insurgencies ever since Flame King's second escape from his lantern-like prison. With his sharp tongue and voice, he had convinced nearly half of all the Fire Elementals to side with him and against Flame Princess. Now, the Flame Kingdom is separated into two factions: The Loyalists and The Usurpers. The Flame King sits in his own throne inside his keep on the opposite side of the kingdom, marching battalion and battalion of Flame Elementals against his own daughter. War now tears this kingdom apart and many Fire Elementals had fought time and again with their own brothers and sisters to either overthrow the throne or protect Flame Princess's rightful claim to it.

To the far north, the Ice Kingdom sits isolated from the rest of Ooo. The Ice King had given up on kidnapping princess after princess his whole life as a sign of grief from losing Finn. He created walls of his own to isolate him and to serve as a barricade ever since both goblin and Earldom walked into his icy territory from both sides. No one was ever able to speak to him ever since Finn's disappearance. Rumor has it that the Ice King now sits coldly alone in his lair, guiltily watching Ooo change from good to worst from the safety of his mountain chamber.

The smaller kingdoms had now fallen, and most of their ruined population had taken refuge in the Candy Kingdom. The Muscle Kingdom's ruins and mountains now serve as nests for dragons, drakes, and wyverns that terrorized the area around the ruins. Breakfast Kingdom had become an ogre land, torn apart by the warring trolls and ogres who know no peace or diplomacy. The forests were now known to be inhabited by a race of blood-lusting werewolves.

The Grasslands now serves as a ground for Stone Fiends that had migrated from the southern desert. Aggressive, dumb, rock-skinned behemoths these humanoid creatures were. They know only to crush those smaller than them with their giant maces, flails, and hammers. They have contested dominance over the Grasslands over the goblins, but in turn, made these lands even more unwelcoming. The Grasslands are now partly littered with fallen boulders that were the decayed bodies of fallen Stone Fiends killed by goblin ballista bolts. Aside from the stone, the land was also littered by the very skeletons and equipment of dead goblins, further scarring these once plain and flowering fields.

The Desert Lands were now shambling grounds for undead warriors summoned by the Followers of The Lich, a cult hidden in the shadows for a long time during Finn's era. The Lichified skeleton warriors had made the Desert Lands devoid of any life, having taken numerous souls to fuel the green corrupted magic that gave them chaotic strength and a unholy life force. Whispers of the Followers finding a ritual to return the Lich to Ooo spread silently throughout the Ooo, but these whispers are quickly hushed for fear that the rumors would come to life. The Lich escaping from his galactic prison will be the last thing anyone would expect, since it was the quickest and most feared way that Ooo could come to a final end.

Seventeen years passed. Seventeen painful, regretful years flew past Ooo, and no hero has ever returned or stood up against the darkness. Ooo flung itself into a total depression and many of its inhabitants have lost so much hope and faith for heroism. Heroes were now children's tales, and as time passed, Finn and Jake were gradually forgotten in time. Valor, honor, morality, and righteousness drifted away into history. Evil tainted the land with its discord and malice. Everyday souls are taken, everyday villages are razed to the once peaceful ground under an Earldom flag or Goblin sword, everyday evil grew stronger and took innocent after innocent, and not one day has good returned to the land… for seventeen years. Every day, every single day, evil grew stronger and stronger that it had crushed the hopes and faith of many.

Seventeen years… Seventeen _painful_ years…

**0o0 **

Winds whistled loudly through the Grassland's night. The sounds made by the blades of grass dancing to the wind and the Stone Fiends' moaning their loud, deep-tone calls filled the air with an unsure uneasiness. The time was feared by many: past midnight. Not one good soul wanted to be caught in such time for this was the preferred time for Goblins to pillage. The nights were no longer the same as they were before Finn. Other than the sound of grass and calls, came the screams of unfortunate travelers, the smell of smoke hinting a scent of blood, and the sight of blazing fires from afar. Death and thievery was common in the Grasslands, and as the years passed, it became normal. What once was the aroma of flowers and fresh air in the grasslands was now dominated by the strong scent of death and smoke.

Amongst the night, stood a wooden pub with two stories, it had lit glass windows that shone orange light past the darkness of the night. The joinery of this building looked aged and rotten, some parts of the wood had been patch-worked sealed again to support its foundations. The dark brown frontage of the building had a wooden canopy supported by stilts and a single hardwood door parallel to two windows. Tables and chairs were scattered outside the pub along torch stands that granted lighting. Most of these tables were occupied by goblins and other grim beings that come to enjoy a night of pure massacre and wickedness.

A sign saying "Drunken Den" stood firm above the frontage canopy of the building. Many goblins came to this place, not eager to pillage it, but to celebrate a night of pillaging and thievery. This building had served these thieves and raiders for years, and in return, the goblins had protected this place as it was the only source of vice farthest away from their home, the Goblin Kingdom.

Past the drunken majority and intoxicated laughter and shout, was one hooded humanoid being who walked casually towards the front door of the pub in silence. He didn't mind being occasionally being bumped at, he would even mumble an "excuse me" as he walked pass the drunken goblins moving about.

He was rather tall, had a right muscular build that did not bulge through his body, and seemed to give an impression of a traveler or mercenary. His identity was concealed by an eerie-looking white mask. The mask had almond-shaped eyepieces that shadowed his eyes, and at the jaw-area of the mask were six holes that acted as breathing pieces. The mask looked like it was made out of plastic from afar, but when under light, thin scratches and a bright luster revealed that this mask was of silver metalwork. It seemed to be strapped to his head by leather belts that tightened at the back of his head.

The traveler wore a brown linen long-sleeved shirt under his torso armor. His torso had a large heather-shaped breastplate that was strapped to his chest and tightened by leather belt linkages that extended from the three points of this chest-shield, held together and tightened at a steel loop from his back. His arms were further protected by a few steel vambraces forged to shape his arm and strapped at the lower and upper arm. His hands were protected by leather mitts which had a jagged iron covering at the back area.

At his shoulders were large metal pauldrons that held the black cloak which covered his back and side. The livid hooded cloak only exposed his chest, thigh, and hip area. He also wore dark brown leather leggings, tightened to him by a large leather belt and similarly protected like his arms. On his thigh and shin were steel greaves centered by an armored knee pad, all of which were strapped to his legs with the same leather linkage, and at his feet were fur boots that had iron tips.

The traveler had multiple weapons as anyone should at times like these. He had a steel sword with a length that extended head to thigh. It was placed inside a scabbard on his back and strapped on him with a long cloth sling. A pair of long daggers was also holstered on his leather belt whenever quick thinking or short work was needed.

He carefully walked past the drunken crowd and reached the doorway. The inside of the pub had more round tables and wooden chairs, and at the far end was the counter which had taller single-person stools that were lined in front of it. The room was lit by lantern light with its sources from the ceiling to prevent an occasional drunken goblin from using it to bash the nearest skull and burn the pub to the ground.

Inside had a lot more drinking and noise to go with all the liveliness of the pub. The place had a tavern-like feel and was filled with the smell of beer and sweat. The snotty-like voice of goblins giving loud messages across the room, the merry laughter, the sound of pewter tankards colliding to another tankard, to the floor, or to a head were all the sounds one can hear. Goblins played cards on some tables, others played a dangerous game of Four Finger Fillet, and some others simply sat with each other and told tales of their raids. Some fights would rise, but would quickly end with the bigger goblin knocking out the smaller one.

The tall traveler now continued on to the counter, sitting down at the only unoccupied stool without a word. He folded his arms on the counter and slightly looked up to the working bartender who had a strange dog-like appearance. Behind the bartender were kegs of different kinds of alcoholic drinks, each with the kind of drink printed on top of the keg's valve in black ink.

"One tankard of mead, please" The traveler said, almost silently but enough to be heard by the canine-looking bartender who was now wiping the liquid mess off the counter. The traveler then slid a few silver coins from his pocket and then to the counter.

"Aye, looks like someone was taught manners." The bartender commented in a gruff voice noticing him saying "please". He holstered the cleaning cloth back at his apron pocket. "One fill of mead coming up" he then took a tankard and filled it with beer from one of the kegs.

The bartender finished filling the glass, and took the silver coins, placing a fresh tankard of beer in front of the eerie-looking character. The bartender noticed the mask and the concealing cloak that made him feel uneasy "Say, you don't look like you're from around here, lad." The bartender said, returning to wipe the counter.

The traveler slightly raised his mask to reveal his mouth. He then took a sip from his tankard, and set it down once more to the counter.

"Aye, I come from a far-away land outside mainland Ooo" the traveler answered "My kingdom was razed to the ground by undead and I was the only one who survived." He then took another sip.

"Ah, times are hard these days, lad." The bartender said with a sympathizing tone. "So where are you headed now?"

"Candy Kingdom, to request special audience with Princess Bubblegum" His voice became slightly louder and more audible to make sure he could be understood past the pandemonium going on in the pub. If it was a great deal louder it would sound like a barbarian's war-cry, but for now, it sounded both barbaric and it had a touch of the voice of a knight reciting his oaths.

"Why'd you do that?" The bartender stopped wiping the counter and placed the white towel in his apron once more.

"I need to inform her that my kingdom, The Mask Kingdom, has fallen as I am the only witness." The traveler said.

The bartender chuckled and then took something from under his counter. "You wouldn't need be doing that audience hibbee-jibbee, lad" He pulled out a rolled pink piece of candy parchment and gave it to the traveler

The traveler took it with his right hand, and sipped from his tankard again using his left hand. He then set the tankard down and let down the mask to level with his eyes. He began reading the letters written finely in black thin sweet syrup.

_Dear Jake,_

_How are you doing? I'm fine here and the Candy Kingdom still stands while I'm around. Anyway, I am holding another feast in my castle tomorrow as to celebrate another siege won against the Earldom. One whole regiment had tried to besiege the outer wall, and with my leadership, I and my candy soldiers had valiantly defended our home. We will celebrate as to further make our citizen's safe and comfortable inside the Candy Kingdom, the last frontier of justice in Ooo._

_Under my order, the castle is open to the public for the time being starting tomorrow dawn in the name of the event. The feast begins at the afternoon and ends in the evening. If you will, bring any acquaintance that may make this occasion all the merrier._

_Sincerely yours, _

_Princess Bubblegum_

"Your name is Jake?" The traveler asked, looking up to the canine bartender. The bartender was a doglike creature that donned a humanoid build. His face was of a yellowish Pitbull, and on the right of it was a long scar that began from the center of his forehead to the top end of his right cheek. His right eye was unfortunately crossed by the cut that made this scar, and the color of its irises now was of a permanent pure cloudy grey.

"Aye, Jake the Dog. The name isn't so special anymore" Jake was then handed the parchment. He took it and placed it back at the counter. "How about yours?" Jake asked for his name.

"I am known in my kingdom as Vincent Whitemask" He answered. "It is an honor to meet you, Jake the Dog" Vincent then offered a handshake to Jake.

Jake shook his hand with a smile. "An honor, eh?" He said, slightly flattered.

Vincent then put up his mask, and ended the handshake then took another hearty sip from his tankard. "Indeed, do you not remember your heroic rescue with Finn the Human to retake our Mask Princess from the Ice King?" Vincent said with a jolly tone.

Jake sighed as he recalled all the moments. "Aye, I guess during my brother and I's time, we made so much countless rescues that I couldn't remember the rescue of Mask Princess in one of them." He then looked down, remembering for a moment the times he and Finn the Human had saved princesses from the clutches of the Ice King.

"I always heard of you heroes when I was but a child." Vincent said. "But I have heard that he disappeared. I'm sorry for the loss…" He apologized in a remorseful tone.

"No, it's alright." Jake said. He began serving another beer to a goblin. "I've gotten over that and you're not the first to notice."

"Hey Jake, my man!" A short drunken goblin then fell between Vincent and another goblin. "Another drink!" He called with an intoxicated tone. He heavily landed a green hand on the counter placing a few silver coins as payment.

"Another drink it is!" Jake pointed at the goblin, getting another tankard and filling it with beer. He filed the tankard, gave the pewter tankard to the drunken goblin which nearly missed his grip when he had tried to hold the handle in a drunken fit.

"Yo, thanks! You're the man! *hic* I mean dog" The goblin then left with his beer tankard and approached another goblin, eventually sparking a small fight.

"Hm, well it seems like I'm really not" Vincent remarked as he saw the goblin fall to the floor in a knock out. "Do you mind if I you can guide me to the Candy Kingdom for the feast later?" Vincent asked.

"Not at all, lad. I'll bring you there. Princess Bubblegum will kill me if I didn't bring anyone like the last time." Jake then took an empty tankard and began wiping the inside with his cleaning cloth.

"Thank you. Does she always hold such feasts?" Vincent then drank from his emptying tankard again.

"Not always, occasionally. Sometimes like winning sieges against that damned Earldom and others when it's her birthday." Jake chuckled and placed the tankard inside a cupboard.

"Ah, I see. She seems like a lenient monarch to me." The traveler said.

"She's the kindest ruler around this realm and she helped a lot of good mates by letting them stay in her kingdom so long as all the mess around this place exists."

"Is she beautiful like what my people would say?" The traveler asked with a smile.

Jake slightly smirked as he remembered how his brother would describe her beauty. "Depends on how your people describe her. My brother's descriptions keep putting her as 'the sweetest, prettiest candy angel with hidden wings'" He said as to how Finn had said it before. He chuckled along with Vincent.

"He seems to have a passion in poetry." Vincent said as his chuckle ended.

"Indeed he did, but it was such a shame that Princess Bubblegum denied my little brother's courtship countless of times"

"Aye, that must've hurt for such a young boy."

"Yep, it scarred his heart more than the Lich did if you ask me" Jake joked. "So he had to move on and he-" Jake stopped in talking all of a sudden and so did the noise of the tavern. Something had caught the attention of everyone in the tavern, and now the joyful laughter and shouts of fights had piped down.

Vincent looked down on his beer tankard as he felt it vibrate. The mead began to move along with the sudden movement he felt on the legs of his stool. He looked up to Jake, seeing his face become pale with fear. His reaction caused Vincent to seem astonished as he saw this ex-hero's face mask in fear, something not many should expect.

All the goblins began to slowly rise with caution, raising their heads up as they begun hearing sounds of loud thumping. They had begun gripping the handles of their sheathed weapons. These vibrations and sounds were all too familiar to them in these lands. The familiarity was too much for some goblins to bear, that few had begun to sweat and become pale in fear.

A minute passed in total silence, and Vincent had stood up and gripped the handle of his sword. Despite being new to these lands, he knew that vibrations and thumping signified something large.

"_STONE FIENDS!" _A goblin yelled from the outside, loud enough to be heard by everyone inside the pub. The goblins began saying the same name and others had started commanding comrade goblins. _Let's go!... Stone Fiends?... Time to break some rock!... I'm not going out there! _The goblins shouted orders to go outside to fight the stone fiends, but smaller goblins hid under the round tables in complete fright, gripping their weapons futilely to feel safe. The bigger goblins poured out until the whole inside of the pub was near-empty, only with Vincent, Jake, and a few frightened goblins to keep it occupied.

"We got to get out there and fight the fiends" Vincent said then finished his tankard of mead and put his mask down. He then pulled out his steel sword to reveal its keen grey blade shining under the lantern-light. The tip of the sword was fashioned like a long block of metal with the top end of the blade shaped as half a notch. It was designed to both make a clean straight decapitating hack and to have an impaling thrusting force with its tip end. The hilt of the sword had a white gem ringed by a steel loop on its centre acting as a juncture for the diamond-shaped iron blade-guards.

"And die?! I don't think so! The goblins can handle that!" Jake cowered under his counter. He looked up to Vincent with eyes truly filled with fear.

"Is this a joke?!" Vincent exclaimed. Yells and shouts now emerged from the outside and the vibrations became even more rapid as the stone fiends began to fight.

"No it's not, and I'm not fighting them!" Jake continued to hide. "If I remain quiet, they will leave, yes, yes, just like they always did" Jake muttered.

"And I thought you were Jake the Dog, not Jake the Puppy…" Vincent mumbled in disappointment. "Cower here all you want, I'm going to stop them from destroying your precious tavern" He ran outside to join the fight, leaving without another word.

Jake had realized the power of his words, and he had been affected by how the traveler had said it. He pulled himself up the counter and saw the brave figure run out his tavern to face the ravenous stone fiends.

Jake knew how large stone fiends were, how their movements shook the very earth, and how they ate goblins or crushed them with their weapons. Fear had taken him, and even more shameful, Jake knew well that he himself was an ex-hero. But with Vincent, Jake realized and sensed the valor in him; he sensed how Vincent declared it like he could defeat the fiends all by himself. He saw the courage to face what others feared behind that mask. The power to fight a foe despite the odds… For once a small drop of hope returned to him.

**0o0**

Five towering stone fiends had met resistance from a band of goblins. The stone fiends were giants that had stony skin and colossal strength. One could mistake them for golems, but in simpler terms, they were giants that were armored in rough rocklike skin. Their arms, hands, legs, feet, and faces were like a human's, only with the face's eyes being that of a skull's hollowed ones and the hands having six sharp fingers. They seem to have no genitals and that was a sign that these beings were more of magical creatures than physical ones.

The only ballista weapon, a large crossbow on wheels that fired spear-like arrows, was now manned by a small team of goblins. The weapon can rotate on its mobile base with the help of one strong goblin. The firing piece was manned by two goblins, a gunner and a loader, and with standard cooperation could make the weapon fire twenty bolts per minute, flinging them like man-sized spears that flew as fast as an arrow would.

The goblins that distracted the dimwitted stone giants from destroying the ballista were now one by one being either eaten or pulverized. One screamed loud as his torso was caught in between the sharp bite of a stone fiend's mouth. Blood had showered around the fiend's mouth and the goblin's screams silenced as he served to sate the fiend's hunger. A handful of goblin's were easily swayed by one swipe of a stone fiend's iron hammer, and another three had been kicked like litter, hurling into the night sky and landing hardly onto the earth. The goblins on foot were nothing but pathetic distractions, and their only advantage was the fragile ballista weapon.

Vincent now looked at the stone fiends wrecking death upon the goblins. He thought of a way to at least take down one by weapon and strength. A stone giant then roared in pain as a bolt impaled his heart, causing a liquid that looked mercury to seep from the wound. The stone fiend then paced weakly towards the ballista in a final attempt of revenge. The goblin crew that operated the ballista attempted to unman the weapon, but it was already too late, the dying stone fiend's massive body fell to the weapon, crushing the woodwork and the goblins underneath it. Dark red goblin blood then seeped from the now dead stone fiend's torso.

Vincent remembered how the bolt penetrated the thick skin of the stone fiend, and as he saw the ballista weapon, he had set his eyes upon a crate of ballista bolts that remain unscathed. He then rushed towards the crate and sheathed his sword. He pulled the plywood lid of the crate and saw the steel bolts pack tightly inside the crate, waiting to taste stone fiend flesh.

Vincent took one bolt with his right hand and another one with his left hand. He looked once again to the stone fiends that were now completely defeating goblins. Some goblins have now started to retreat helplessly, running away only to be caught by a stone fiend's hand and become their bloody dinner. It was evident that these stone beings were heartless, merciless and had a rock for brain, only thinking to crush what was smaller than them.

With his might, Vincent hurled one good steel bolt at the nearest stone giant which had its dark eyes on the pub. The fiend shouted as the bolt landed deep into his stony neck. It looked at were the bolt came from and saw Vincent, standing firmly second bolt in hand as he glared at back to the fiend's dark, round, and hollow eyes. The fiend pulled out the bolt out of its neck and threw it at Vincent like a large dart. It had landed just a few feet from Vincent's toes, anymore near and it would've driven into Vincent's chest, and this had not caused Vincent to react at all. The stone fiend felt mocked and it roared at Vincent as it then neared him.

Vincent took another bolt and made a run for the tavern. He saw a ladder on one leaning against the first roof the pub, and he headed for it to gain height. Vincent climbed the rickety ladder, placing two bolts in one hand in order to do so, and the fiend followed him and stood near the roof. Vincent was now leveled to the fiend's head and he quickly ran towards it, leaping off the roof, and landing on the fiend with both of the bolts impaling the head. Vincent had driven both the bolts into the fiend's forehead, and he now hung high as he held onto the rods. The bolts had lodged into the fiend's brain and the sharpened ends of the bolts dripped with the metallic liquid as it had hung at the back of the fiend's head. The fiend belched in pain and it struggled to remove Vincent. Just as it was about to place its hands on its face to tear Vincent off, he had already let go and made a landing on the soil.

The fiend had now accidentally pushed the bolt further inside its head as his hands slapped on his face. It screamed louder in pain as he made this mistake, and it now slowly began to lose life. The other stone fiends watched as the dying one fell on its own back and no longer writhed in pain. A puddle of silver liquid pooled out of the back of the dead fiend's head, and now, its body was now even more stone cold.

Vincent finally slew the fiend and now the others had set its eyes on the cloaked figure. Three stone fiends now remained and they had started to close in on Vincent who was now taking another two rods from the crate. He hurled his first rod to the stone fiend who stood between the two others. The rod had landed on its chest and the fiend was staggered and momentarily stunned as the rod had penetrated its right lung. Vincent then threw one more to the stone fiend on the left, and this time, the rod had impaled its left shin, causing it to trip and fall to the ground. Vincent took another two more and ran towards the final one. As he neared, the giant attempted to grab him with both hands, but narrowly missed the quick prey. Vincent was was able to be behind the final giant, and he then drove both the bolts into the giant's ankles with a glorious shout. The fiend was crippled and it moaned in pain as it tripped face on the ground.

Vincent now crippled two of the giants to the ground with his sheer bravery and strength. He then took the pleasure of executing both of them, first with the one he had just crippled. He unsheathed his sword and walked slowly up the back of the fiend, traveling to its neck on its still breathing body. Vincent held both the handle with both his hands and raised his sword up high, and with one blow, drove the blade all the way inside the beast's head, with its blood splattering to his hands. The creature was now stiff and Vincent headed for the next crippled stone fiend, not worried by the other stone fiend that was now slowly dying with its bleeding left lung.

The traveler stopped and felt rapid vibrations, he quickly looked to his right and saw the very giant run towards him. Before he could react, the giant had taken his cloak and it had raised him up above his mouth to devour him. He had acted too cocky, and now he was about to pay the price.

"Oh no you won't!" A familiar voice came, and suddenly Vincent fell to ground as the giant was pushed by another large being. Vincent saw Jake himself in a size just as tall as the giant's height. Jake was morphed in a form of a giant human-like gorilla, and in a rage, he began to put the beast in its place.

Jake had punched the giant hard with his fist, causing it to drop Vincent and to stagger as the blow had a power that knocked some of its teeth off. The giant was still alive and Jake was now getting ready to finish him off with a show of blood and anger.

The giant looked back at Jake, glaring as if it had eyes, and Jake had thought it was trying to threaten him, "Aye, it's a fight you're gonna get!" Jake taunted, pouncing at the stone fiend and pinning it to the ground. Both his legs were spread on the stomach of the giant, suffocating its breathing space as Jake began to hurl fist after fist to the giant's face. He grunted loudly as he beat the giant's head, one punch after another at the poor fiend, shattering the bone and damaging the brain in an animalistic bloody rage. He had made the face almost unrecognizable, and now, he wanted to end its misery as the giant struggled to push Jake off. In a final episode of violence, Jake enlarged his right fist and gave one crushing direct blow to the centre of the fiend's face, driving his fist flat into the ground along with all flesh, and destroying all the cartilage and turning the head into a mush splattered with silver liquid and bits of stone.

Jake pulled himself out, his fists now gleaming with stone fiend blood. He went for the final one limping as it tried to escape. Jake walked near it until it was in his reach. His strength was stronger than that of these giants, and when he gripped the fiend's shin, he pulled it like it was a piece of twig. The grip on its leg was tight, and Jake pulled hard enough for the fiend to trip once more to suffer a brutal death. "Not one of my goblin mates lived, not one of your stone mates are going to live" Jake shouted, marking that he was going to show no mercy for a merciless being, an equivalent exchange perhaps. He planted a good foot on the middle of the fiend's neck and it now began to scream in a muffled terror as it felt Jake's feet pushing its throat down into the ground. Jake tightly clutched the fiend's hollow eyes with enlarged humanoid hands, and heaved mightily to rip its head off.

Jake yelled in a battle cry as he tore the giant's head off with both his hands. Bits of stone erupted and its silver blood began to burst forth from the gaping tear on its top neck. Jake anchored himself with his foot, placing both pressure and power on the giant's throat to hold him as he pulled violently for the head. The scream of the giant died down as it was replaced by its dying gurgles of his blood. Jake then pulled hard and ripped the giant's head off like torn paper, raising it in the air with one hand in glory and then dropping it to the ground, causing the head to roll. His feet, chest, and arms were now drenched in stone fiend blood, his knuckles were now reddening from all the collision, and he breathed heavily after that fit of bloodlust to catch his breath.

He then shrunk himself back to his normal size and looked to Vincent who was sitting down on a barrel near the entrance of the pub, tankard of mead in hand. He took another sip and set the tankard down, clapping slowly as he caught Jake's look. Vincent smiled at him which made Jake chuckle and shake his head. Jake the Dog, the ex-hero, stood in front of all the violence he had just incurred, contemplating over his monstrous ability that he had not used for a very long time…

* * *

**Author's Note:** Wellp, sorry if I had to end it here, and that Jake had changed a bit too much, and with Vincent being OP. And I, uh, kinda based Jake's way of violence with a bit of Shingeki No Kyojin.

**Update:** The Earldom comes from the WEST.

A lot more stuff is gonna come and I'm plotting it out. Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter, my good reader, and thank you for the first few reviews.

Follow, favorite, review if you want to. Const. critics are alright, flames not appreciated.

See you readers at the next chapter.


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